The present disclosure generally relates to tools for hand knitting. To allow a better understanding of how knitting tools, such as the ones described, can be used, a basic instruction of hand knitting is provided below.
For flat fabrics, two knitting needles are employed. To begin, one needle bearing a set of stitches of any number is normally held in the left hand, and an empty needle is held in the right hand. Then, the tips of the two needles are brought together and used to manipulate each stitch in turn, as necessary, to draw a small amount of a continuous yarn supply through it in order to form a new stitch. The new stitch is mounted on the right needle and the original stitch is dropped from the left needle, where it then lies below the original stitch and forms part of the growing fabric. When the original set of stitches on the left needle have all been worked, that needle will be empty and a new set of stitches will be on the right needle. The two needles are then exchanged from one hand to the other, and the process is repeated.
For circular fabrics, three or more needles are used, each one bearing a portion of the stitches. The needles are drawn into a circle and the work progresses continuously from one needle to the next clockwise with the stitches manipulated as described above. The needle bearing a new set of stitches is set down to the right, the empty needle is transferred from left hand to right, and the next needle to the left is taken up and the stitches on it are then worked in the same way.
Hand knitters have traditionally employed various devices to support one of the needles while knitting, thereby facilitating the speed and ease with which the work is done. These devices function as the equivalent of a “third hand” or “helping hand,” and hold an object as it is being worked on, freeing the hands to manipulate materials and/or tools for tasks, such as electronic parts assembly and/or craftwork.
Historical evidence suggests that hand knitters in Europe (and most likely elsewhere) have used devices of this kind to support a knitting needle for a very long time. Several different types were traditional in various regions, and were usually hand made by a family member or someone in the community. More recently, several patents have been issued for devices intended to serve somewhat the same purpose. These are discussed below.
Two of the earliest and simplest devices used as knitting needle supports are the knitting wisp and the knitting quill. These devices were typically made up of no more than a handful of straw or goose quills, tightly bound together in a cone shape by means of string or yarn, often woven in a decorative pattern. The bound end of the bundle was tucked into the knitter's waistband or apron string, and one tip of a knitting needle was inserted into the free ends of the straw or the vanes of the feathers, where it was held in position.
Another device that was traditionally used is variously called a knitting stick or a knitting sheath. This is essentially a more refined version of the wisp or quill described above, and is also worn at the waist. Typically, a knitting stick is a narrow object made of wood, bone, or metal, about 4-8″ long, either round or square in cross-section or in the shape of a cone, with a hole in one end for the knitting needle. Many of these sticks were elaborately carved or etched and can be seen in museum displays of traditional craft tools.
A more sophisticated device is the knitting belt, which is an oval leather pad, generally about 8-9″ long and 2-3″ at its widest, firmly stuffed with horsehair, and having several holes punched in the top. A belt is attached to each end of the pad, allowing it to be fastened to the knitter's right side at waist or hip. A knitting needle is inserted into one of the holes in the pad where it is held in a fixed position by the horsehair stuffing.
More recently, some novel knitting devices have been patented. U.S. Pat. No. 2,461,816 appears to disclose a device that resembles the traditional knitting stick. It is a wood tube attached to a belt and worn at the waist. The end of the tube has several holes of different sizes with an adjustable clamp inside. A knitting needle is inserted into one of the holes and the clamp holds it in position. While this device could be used as an alternative to a knitting belt, both its construction and mode of use are sufficiently different that it is not relevant to the features of the knitting device disclosed herein.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,866,953 appears to disclose a device that holds two knitting needles by means of a pair of rectangular, notched holders attached at each end of a strap that the knitter either sits on, or places on the lap, with one holder at each side. Special needles with a unique ball-joint head are inserted into one of the notches in the holder. While purportedly for a similar purpose, this device is different from the invention described here in both its construction and mode of use.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,449,987 appears to disclose a wooden device that is clamped to a table or other surface, having an adjustable bar with notches to hold a knitting needle. It is intended as an aid for disabled knitters who have the use of only one hand. Both the construction of this device and its mode of use are sufficiently different from the one described here, and is not relevant to the claims made.
Both knitting sticks and knitting belts gradually fell out of favor and are no longer in common use for a number of reasons, as discussed below. Currently, while information about these devices is available on the Internet and from other sources, and authentic examples made by individual artisans can still be obtained, these tools are now primarily thought of as no more than curiosities. Modern knitters have never seen these devices, and, if they do know of them, are unfamiliar with how they are used.
The gradual decline in the use of these devices appears to be due to certain characteristics of these traditional designs, which came to be seen as inconvenient or uncomfortable by those not accustomed to using them.
In particular, with respect to knitting sticks, the size of the opening in the end accommodates needles of only one or two sizes. This was not seen as a problem in the past because traditional knitters had a very limited number of needle sizes available to them. However, contemporary knitters work with a wide range of sizes; therefore, if a knitter wished to use a knitting stick, several of them would be required, each with a different-sized opening.
Additionally, the waistband determines the location of the device and the angle of the needle, and these factors determine the position of the knitter's hands and arms. As a result, the needle may not be in the optimum position for comfort or viewing the work at the best distance. Further, contemporary knitters do not always wear clothing with a waistband tight enough to hold a knitting stick in position, or may wear a garment that has no waistband, although it is possible to wear a separate belt to hold the stick in position.
A conventional knitting belt is a somewhat more versatile device than a knitting stick because it can be used with needles in a wider range of sizes and can be worn in a more convenient position, as shown in FIG. 1.
However, because the pad is firmly stuffed with horsehair, both the top and the bottom have a rounded, pillow-like shape, which means the bottom curves up, away from the body in wear. As a result, the pad has a tendency to rock both horizontally and vertically when subjected to the motions used in knitting. This has several deleterious effects, as detailed below.
One, as each stitch is manipulated, downward pressure is placed on the needle tip and this force is transferred to the pad. Due to the rounded shape of the bottom piece, the pad tends to rock up and down vertically as this pressure is applied and released. This requires the knitter to use a slightly greater range of motion, reducing speed and efficiency. Two, the pad is subjected to a certain amount of force every time a needle is inserted into or removed from the pad, causing it to rock back and forth horizontally and gradually shift position. Because the position of the pad may change due to the forces exerted on it during the course of knitting, the knitter may be required to stop from time to time to readjust it, which tends to slow down the overall progress of the work.
While the design of these devices is less than ideal in some respects, they function adequately for the purpose and suit the needs of the traditional knitters who are accustomed to them. As a result, they have remained basically unchanged for a very long time, except for minor differences in decorative details, materials, and size.